Wedge bar relay adjusting device



A ril 21, 1959 G. R. MACHIAN WEDGE BAR RELAY ADJUSTING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 30, 1955 III 1 "k Mild LE HTTO/P/VEY April 21, 1959 e. R. MACHIAN WEDGE BAR RELAY ADJUSTING DEVICE Filed March 30, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Vin/70 6 April 21, 1959 G. R. MACHIAN WEDGE BAR RELAY ADJUSTING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March so, 1955 m4 roe K H,M 6y ATTORNEY April 21, 1959 Filed March 30, 1955 G. R. MACHIAN.

WEDGE BAR RELAY ADJUSTING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent O WEDGE BAR RELAY ADJUSTING DEVICE Application March 30,1955, Serial No. 497,869 1 Claim. (Cl. 153-52 This invention relates to relay-adjusting devices, and more particularly to apparatus for adjusting relay core plates to predetermined positions in assembled relays.

One feature of the invention is to provide apparatus for bending relay core plates to precise positions such that combs positioned by the core plates locate contacts on the combs in precise positions relative to other contacts of the relays.

A further feature of the invention is to provide apparatus for holding an assembled wire spring relay in an upright position, and inserting wedges into oppositely extending slots in a core plate of the relay to set arms of the core plate in precise symmetrical positions relative to one another.

An apparatus illustrating certain features of the invention may include a work holder for carrying a wire spring relay in an upright position to a work station at which means are inserted into slots in a core plate in the wire spring relay to bend arms of the core plate adjacent to the slots to precise positions which locates contacts of the relay in desired positions relative to other contacts thereof.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description of an apparatus forming a specific embodiment thereof, when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section of an apparatus forming one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary horizontal section of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 that has been rotated 180;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary vertical section taken along line 44 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of a relay together with the wedge bars for bending an element of the relay.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown therein an apparatus for bending arms (see Fig. 5) of a core plate 11 of a wire spring relay 12 to predetermined positions in which the core plate 11 holds a center comb 13 of the relay in a position in which center contacts 14 are precisely located between movable contacts 15 and 16. A base portion 17 of the core plate 11 is held rigidly by .posts 8 of a heavy core 9 of the relay. The relay also includes a spring-pressed armature 64 positioned beneath the core plate 11 and having projections 80 extending up through the slots 71 and 72 formed in the plate 11. The relay 12 is held in a fixture 18 movable along a guideway 19 and including a base 20. The base 20 carries a holder 22 which is actuated to clamping position by a manually operable toggle-joint linkage 23 which moves a clamp 24 toward a clamp 25 having ridges 26 for engaging one side of the relay 12 so that the relay 12 is precisely held in the holder 22, notched or corner portions 27 of the clamp 24 serving to receive corners 28 of the core plate 11.

The holder 22 is moved to the position thereof shown in Fig. 2, against a stop rod 29, and the holder is lifted by rods 32 to push the base 20 upward against guide rails 35. A solenoid control valve 36 of a well known type is then actuated to supply air under pressure into the upper end, as viewed in Fig. 1, of a cylinder 37 to move a piston carrying a piston rod 38 downwardly in a guideway 39 of a fixed U-shaped frame 40 until a collar 41 thereon engages an adjustment nut 42 carried vertically adjustably on a fixed bridge 43 which limits further downward movement of the piston rod 38. Releasable clamps 44 are provided for locking the nut 42 in adjusted position.

A bracket 45 carried by the piston rod 38 carries links 46 and 47 pivotally thereon which are connected pivotally by pins 48 and 49 to arms 50 and 51. The arms 50 and 51 are mounted pivotally on fixed pins 52 and 53 carried by a bridge 54 secured rigidly to the frame 40. The frame 40 is provided with guideways 57 and 58 along which wedging bars 59 and 60 are slidable, plates 61 and 62 retaining the wedges in the guideways 57 and 58. Rounded ends 65 and 66 of the arms 50 and 51 project into slots 67 and 68 in the bars 59 and 60, and transmit motion to the bars. As the piston rod 38 is moved downwardly, forward wedge portions 69 located at a level below the core plate 11 are pushed into the relay to cam the spring-pressed armature 64 and its projections 80 out of the paths of rear wedge portions 79, which then enter into narrow slots 71 and 72 in the core plate 11 to bend the arms 10 away from posts 8 that mount the plate 11 rigidly on the relay. The forward edge portions 69 cam the spring-pressed armature 64 to the right as viewed in Fig. 5, forcing the main body portion of the armature, which is positioned beneath the plate 11, against the heavy core 9 and the projections 80 on the armature that extend through the slots 71 and 72 are permitted to move into interior extensions 81 of the slots 71 and 72 thereby removing the projections from the path of the wedge portions 79. As the wedge portions 79 enter the slots 71 and 72, faces 82 of the bars 59 and 60 slide along and are backed up by edges of the core plate 11. The base 17 is centered and backed up by the corner portions 27 of the jaw 24. Thus, as limited by the stop nut 42, which limits precisely the movement of the Wedging bars 59 and 60, the arms 10 are bent and move the comb 13 to precisely locate the comb 13 and the contacts 14 in the relay 12. Also, as the piston rod 38 reaches the bottom of its travel, an adjustment screw 75 mounted on the bracket 45 engages a spring-pressed plunger 76 of a limit switch 77 to actuate the valve 36 to reverse the supply of air to the cylinder 37 and lift the piston rod 38. As the piston rod 38 is raised, an adjustment screw 78 actuates a limit switch 79. The base 20 then is lowered to the guideway 19, and the stop rod 32 is lowered out of the path of the holder 22, which is pushed out by a succeeding holder (not shown).

Reviewing the operation of the bending facilities, upon downward movement of the piston rod 38, the oppositely disposed wedging bars 59 and 60 are moved toward each other. The forward faces 69 move within the slots 71 and 72 to engage and cam the spring biased armature 64 toward the right as viewed in Fig. 5. The main body portion of the armature 64 moves completely beneath the core plate 11 and the projections of the armature move into the interior extensions 81 of the slots 71 and 72 thereby exposing the slots to permit entry of the wedge portions 79 of the wedging bars 59 and 60. If the armature 64 was not moved, then the wedges 79 would engage the projections 80 of the armature and thus preclude further entry of the bars 5'9 and 60 or cause severe damage to the armature.

Now with the armature 64 positioned beneath the core plate 11, the wedging bars proceed to move within the slots 71 and 72 and the faces 79 act against the edges of the arms 10 to effectuate a bending thereof. Inasmuch as the arms 10 are connected to the center comb 13, bending of the arms results in a movement of the comb toward the left as viewed in Figv 5. Attached to the comb 13 are fixed contacts 14, hence the contacts are moved relative to the spring contacts 15 and 16 positioned on either side thereof. By selecting proper thicknesses of the wedging bars 59 and 60, it is possible to precisely locate the position of the contacts 14 relative to the spring contacts 15 and 16.

The above-described apparatus serves to automatically locate the center contacts of a wire spring relay comb relative to the movable contacts thereof and does so precisely and Uniformly.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

A device for bending an arm of a core plate held rigidly at its base on a core of a wire spring relay having a stationary comb biased against the ends of the arms to precisely locate the comb, which comprises means for holding such a relay in a predetermined vertical position,

a wedge bar having a first wedge portion at one end thereof and also being provided with a second wedge portion spaced back from said end and ofiset from the first wedge portion, means mounting the wedge bar slidably in a position such that the first wedge portion is ofiset below the core plate and the second wedge portion is directed at the arm and the first wedge portion faces away from the arm and the seeond wedge portion zfa'ces toward the arm, and means for moving the wedge bar a predetermined distance toward the core plate, whereby the first wedge portion initially engages "and moves an armature of the relay out of the path 'of the second wedge portion and then the second cam portion engages and bends the arm to a predetermined position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 277,077 Sweet t. May '8, 1883 890,500 Cooper June '9, 1908 1,474,882 Baumgarten t. Nov. 20, 1923 1,645,865 :Kondak-jian Oct. 1-8, 1927 1,870,584 Ostrom Aug. 9, 1932 2,473,919 Stone June :21, 1949 2,523,380 Lawson Sept. 26, 1950 

